Risk Assessment and Control Flashcards
7 cards from real ASP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Risk Assessment and Control flashcards as text
A facility uses the 'Bow-Tie' analysis method. What does the 'knot' or center of the bow-tie represent?
Answer: The top event or hazardous event
In Bow-Tie analysis, the central knot represents the top event — the moment control of the hazard is lost.
When applying the hierarchy of controls, substitution is preferred over engineering controls because:
Answer: It eliminates or reduces the hazard at the source rather than containing it
Substitution replaces a hazardous material or process with a less hazardous one, reducing inherent risk rather than just controlling exposure.
A safety manager calculates a Risk Priority Number (RPN) of 120 for a hazard. Which FMEA inputs produce this value if severity = 8 and detectability = 5?
Answer: Occurrence = 3
RPN = Severity × Occurrence × Detectability; 8 × 3 × 5 = 120.
In quantitative risk assessment, 'risk tolerance' criteria are typically expressed as:
Answer: A maximum acceptable individual or societal risk level (e.g., 1×10⁻⁵/year)
Quantitative risk tolerance is usually expressed as an annual probability of harm threshold for individuals or populations.
Which of the following BEST describes a 'leading indicator' in safety risk management?
Answer: Percentage of safety observations completed on schedule
Leading indicators measure proactive activities (like completed observations) that predict future safety performance before incidents occur.
A root cause analysis reveals that a pressure relief valve was bypassed because workers lacked time under production pressure. This root cause is BEST categorized as:
Answer: Organizational/management system failure
Production pressure that leads to bypassing safety devices reflects a management system failure in balancing safety and productivity priorities.
OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard requires a Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) to be revalidated at least every:
Answer: 5 years
29 CFR 1910.119 requires PHA revalidation every five years to ensure the analysis remains current with process changes.